Scalding-machine.



W, B. STEVENS.

SGALDING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED H1129, 1912. M'/ u, Patented July 21, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@Hoff/M113 Patented July 21, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Snom/woz ,lV/17072223 Svm W. B. STEVENS.

SCALDING MACHINE.

APPIJUATION FILED 113.29, 1912.

Patented July 21, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WILLIAM B.' STEVENS., OF TRAPPE, MARYLAND.

suriname-MACHINE.

Specication of Letters Paten-1:.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application flled February 29, 1912.l Serial No. 680,647.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WLILLIAM B. S'revENs, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Trappe, in the county of Talbot and State of Maryland, have invented certain new .and useful Improvements in Scalding-Machlnes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to scalding machines, and particularly to that class of machines known as tomato scalders. .Heretofore, in the construction of tomato scalders, it has been customary to place a series of transversely arranged pipes in a casing, the vegetables or tomatoes being carried under these pipes. These pipes are, naturally spaced from one another and, after the tomatoes have passed under one pipe they are not acted upon by the water or steam, untll they reach thenext pipe thus causlng 'an nneven steaming. In addition to this, the water or steam comes directly from the pipes and drives directly upon the tomatoes in suchl a manner that the same are greatly mutilated.

1t is theobject of the present invention to eliminate these objectionable features 'by submitting the tomatoes-to an even ow of steam which will be distributed'in such a manner that the vegetables will pass through an entire area of predetermined length, wherein they will be acted upon by steam throughout the entire distance. f

It is also the further object of the pres-l ent invention to inject the steam into the tank in such a manner that the same will not bear directly upon the vegetables, in order to eliminate the mutilation.

It is also the object of the present invention to provide a means whereby the tomatoes are initially placed in water, thus partially soaking the same previous to subjectingl them to steam.

With the above and other objects in view,.. my invention `consists in the constructiom' combination, and arrangement of the several l parts, all as will be hereinafter and in detail described.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machlne constructed in accordancewith the present invention. Fig. y2 is a centrallongitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof, parts thereof` bein broken away.

The scaldi machineorming the subject matter o the present invention comprises a` tank having one end elevated, mounted upon suitable supports, and Vprov gagement of vided at its lower end with a feed opening.

An endless conveyer is disposed within the tank and is adapted to receive the vegetables or fruit at the feed opening'and carry the same upwardly through the tank, said vegetables or fruit being primarily subjected to a spray of water and then to a spray ofl scalding steam during the passage through the tank.

Reference being had more particularly Lto,

the'drawings, 10 indicates a casing or tank having one end 10 elevated and the other end 10"v depressed, said tank being supported by suitable legs l1. The upper side of the casing or tank 10 adjacent to the lower end thereof, is substantially horizontal and is provided with a feed` opening 12 in the cover 13 of the tank. The lower end of the casing slopes upwardly toward the horizontal portion 12. of the cover 13 'and is adapted to provide a guide .whereby the vegetables are fed onto the carrier. A bearing 14: is mounted upon each leg 11 adjacent to the feed compartment indicated generally at 15, said bearings each havingjournaled therein a shaft 16 which extends transversely through the tank adjacent the lower end thereof. This shaft 16 is provided with sprocket wheels 17 nearthe opposite ends thereof, within the tank. A shaft 18 is journaled adjacent the upper end Aof the tank upon braces 19, said shaft extending transversely through the casing or tank 10, and provided with the Sprocket wheels 20 adjacent each end thereof, and operable inside the tank. Sprocket chains 21 pass around the sprocket wheels 17 and 20 to-support and operate the conveyer. These chainsv 21 are connected by a series of transversely arranged slats 22 which are provided with the upwardly extending vanes 23 for the en' the vegetables. In order to strengthen and support the lower stretchof each of the chains 21, a board24 is mounted upon the bottom of said tank or casing as shown in Fig. 2.

The sides of the feed compartment 1,5 are provided with obliquely arranged angle bars 25, said angle bars being adapted to receive a grate 26 constructed of a series of slats which incline from the conveyer 17- to .a point ladjacent to the outer side yof the' feed opening 12. This grate is provided with a series of transversely arranged bars ,27 to which are secured a series of slats 28, said slats being provided -at their upper terminals with the hooks 29 which engage suitable .supports extending across the feed chamber. l,

The tomatoes are dumped through the feed openings 12 and will sink`upon.the grate 26 to be .conducted to the conveyer by `gravity. The upper terminal of the tank l0 is open for the delivery of the tomatoes and is provided with an inwardly sloping guide 30 upon which the tomatoes are placed after the carrier has delivered the same, and by means of which they are conducted from the tank. 4

In order to provide a means whereby the shaft 18 may be rotated, thereby imparting a movement to the interior mechanism, a gear or pulley 3l is slidably and loosely mounted thereon, and connected to any suitable source of'power, said gears or pulley being operated by a suitable lever 32. The outer surface of the gear or -pulley 31 is provided with a clutch member 33 which is adapted to cooperate with the clutch member 34, rigidly keyed to the shaft-18 at the outer terminal thereof, when it is desired to rotate the shaft 18. The scalding mechanism, which operates upon the tomatoes or vegetables as they pass through the tank 10 upon the carrier heretofore described, constitutes primarily, a trans-- versely arranged pipe 35 mounted wit-hin thecasing or tank l0, above the carrier and adjacent to the lower terminal thereof, the said pipe being provided with perforations, and extending across said tank. The supply pipe 36 is centrally secured to the pipe 35 in such a manner thatthe water passingI through the supply pipe into the pipe 35. is equably supplied thereby.. The supply pipe 36 is connected to a water supply pipe 37 through the instrumentality of which the water is fed into the pipe 36 and from which it advances into the pipe 35. 1n or der to impart the necessary force to the water passing from the pipe 37 into the pipe and inaddition thereto, to partially heat said water, a steam pipe 38' is connected to the jointbetween t-he pipe 37 and the pipe 3G. This pipe 35 is adapted to feed luke warm water upon the tomatoes or vegetables, thereby thoroughly washing the same and partially loosening their skins. This operation is done primarily 'and previous to subjecting the tomatoes to the action of the scalding steam. A. steam box 39 is mounted on the interior surface of the cover 13 of the tank 10-l above the pipey 35 and is provided with a perforated closure upon its inner surface. 'lhis box 39 is somewhat elongated for the furpcse of giving sufficient space -for the steam to operate upon the tomatoes or vegetables which pass directly under the box 39. The steam supply pipe 4l enters one side of the box 39 and is adapted to keep a standingpressure of steam Within said box throughout its entire area. From this construction it will clearly be seen that the steam entering the box 39 is equally distributed throughout the entire space thereof and will pass through the plate 40 at an even pressure operating upon all the tomatoes with thesame pressure and with the same quantity of steam. It is also noted that as the tomatoes pass under the box 39 every tomato will be operated upon by the steam for a pre-determined period of time dependent upon the speed at which the carrier is operated and also upon the length of the box 39.v

A drain pipe 42 enters the feed compartment 15 adjacent to the upper side thereof as at 43, the opening to the said drain pipe being` covered by the screen 44. It will clearly be seen from the foregoing that, owing to the slope of the tank l()` the water level will be under the broken line shown in Fig. 2 and that the tomatoes as they are placed within the feed compartment 1 5 will be immersed in water of a warm temperature previous to being received upon the carrier. This not only Washes the tomatoesof any dirt which may be thereon, but

also primarily soaks them before subject? in o' them to the clean water.

Having thusv fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 'A machine for scalding vegetables and fruit comprising a tank, a cover for said tank, an inclined conveyer within the tank under the cover, means for moving said conveyer longitudinally of said tank, a steam box supported underneath the cover and over the conveyer in said tank, said box extending across approximately the ent-ire width. of the conveyer and extending a substantial distance lengthwise of said conveyer, said box having a perforated bottom, and a pipe leading into said steam box, whereby the vegetables or fruit conveyed beneath the steam box will be exposed to an even flow of steam from the steam box through a considerable port-ion of the travel thereof.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM B. STEVENS.

1Witnesses: i

R. RASTALL WALKER, J. H. JONES, Jr. 

